That warm and chatty penultimate kitchen post I'd planned is just not going to happen. Sorry. I've got no clever, no witty, no funny. Let's just look at pictures, shall we?

The stone folks only sent two guys to do my countertop install. Now, it's a wee kitchen, so there's no room for an entire crew to work. Thing is, granite is heavy. Dark coloured granite, which tends to be less porous, is very heavy. Two of our pieces were manageable, but the third (the bit that runs from the fridge all the way to the far wall and then turns to throw it's spindly granite arms around the sink) was fecking unwieldy. Somehow, the stone folk wrangled it inside. Bonus points for not dropping it on my new porcelain tile floor.

The stonework is lovely, though. We chose a medium bevel for the edge. Of course, when I say 'we' I mean 'me, having pleaded with Don to voice an opinion. any opinion. anything at all.'

As part of our purchase, the stone folk would drill up to five holes for sink hardware/whatever the hell else we needed. We're simple people, Don and I. We just needed our faucet installed. It had to be offset. The sink we chose is D-shaped, and while it gives us a few more inches of room in the basin, it leaves no room for a behind-the-sink fixture.

I'll have to get a good picture of the sink at some point. I completely adore that thing. And I'm crazy in love with the faucet fixture. I'd hug it, but that way lies unintentional soaking. Not that I speak from experience or anything.

With my old cabinets, there was a panel directly in front of the sink. It sported two knobs and folded out. I'm not sure why. It was wasted space. Not so anymore.

It's a sponge (and other stuff) tray! I didn't go for many bells and whistles when we chose the cabinets, but I insisted upon this.

Speaking of the sink and its immediate environs... new plumbing!

I didn't take pictures of the old set up, and I'm rather glad of it. Better to let the memory fade, taking with it the anguish of endless clogs and leaks and unpleasant smells. The new set up is clean and smart and rather pretty, actually.

The plumber also fixed both of our outdoor faucets, disassembled the defunct outdoor shower, hooked up my stove and fitted the propane line with a shut-off. He also got my dishwasher up and running. In appreciation, my dishwasher said, "Mraaaaawr!" before closing it's maw and settling into an easy doze.

Here's my only other fancy-pants cabinet extra:

One bin for garbage, one for recycling, neatly tucked away. Please tell me that someone understands how delightful this is. Anyone? Anyone?

And I know this is mad blurry, but Esme never stops moving. One of these days I'll have (some of) my cookbooks on these shelves, but until that day - heck, probably well after I shelve them - kitty will make herself at home.